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Leah Litman

@leahlitman.bsky.social
224K followers 947 following 3.4K posts

Michigan Law Prof. Co-host, Strict Scrutiny Podcast Author, NYT Bestseller “LAWLESS: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, & Bad Vibes” www.simonandschuster.com/books/Lawl…

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Reposted by Leah Litman
ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 1h
I will not stoop to their level. I will not stoop to their level. I will not denigrate this woman based on her immutable characteristics, speaking style, or apparent illiteracy. I will not stoop to their level...
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Crooked Media @crooked.com · 2h
@leahlitman.bsky.social: What's the issue with the extraterritoriality cause? Kirti Datla: The number one problem is... it's made up.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 3h
NEW: In the Common Cause-led DHS pro-Trump ads case, Judge Rochon orders parties into court at 10a Wednesday. "Defendants shall be prepared to address the information in Plaintiffs' submission."
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 6h
Ooph - I do not have a great feeling about this one... bsky.app/profile/chri...
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Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
A new piece from me, a provocation really: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
The "Nerd Circuit": Creating a New Court for Regulatory Challenges
<span> <p><span>In recent years, opponents of new Executive Branch initiatives have developed a standard playbook for tying up those initiatives in court:
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Andy Kaczynski @kfile.bsky.social · 8h
NEW: Among the Truth Social posts we found shared by incoming White House press secretary Katie Zacharia were a seemingly pro-Putin post claiming he was fighting a “cabal” in Ukraine, and another implying Joan Rivers was killed for saying Michelle Obama had a penis. www.cnn.com/2026/10/12/p...
cnn.com
New White House press secretary has a history of conspiracy-laced social media posts | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, repeatedly made baseless accusations of pedophilia against prominent Democrats and shared conspiracy-related content, inc...
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Kate Shaw @kateshaw.bsky.social · 8h
I’ve got a piece in the @nytimes.com this morning about why Supreme Court reform has to be at the top of any agenda for democratic repair www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Democrats Need a Plan for Supreme Court Reform. Here’s a Start. (Gift Article)
Why Democrats must prioritize court reform.
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 20h
Not ALL better but we’re optimistic she is improving and on the mend - we have another follow up in two weeks. Thanks for asking! ♥️
Goldendoodle
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 22h
Timeline juice: Stevie, the cutest dog and best girl in the whole world
Mini Goldendoodle
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
BREAKING WaPo: A federal judge issued a temporary order Sunday blocking the Trump admin from airing those propaganda ads. But the administration blew past that deadline and ran two of the ads into the early hours of Monday, advertising data shows.
washingtonpost.com
Trump blew past deadline to halt running taxpayer-funded campaign-style ads
A coalition of nonprofits had sued, calling the ads “propaganda.” The president has said campaign funds would be used to pay for the commercials going forward.
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Adam Klasfeld @klasfeldreports.com · 12/10/2026
A federal judge released her opinion explaining the reason she blocked the taxpayer-funded pro-Trump ads. Common Cause is "likely to succeed in showing that the advertisements are impermissible 'publicity or propaganda,'" the ruling states. Doc buff.ly/aRZs8Ru
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Dan Weiner @danw329.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Bombshell from NYT’s @teddyschleifer.bsky.social: upcoming filings show that Elon Musk, whose companies hold billions in federal contracts, has already dropped a record $366M on the midterms, much of it to help the Senate GOP. Hard to think of a historical parallel. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/u...
nytimes.com
Inside Elon Musk’s $276 Million Midterm Rescue Mission for Republicans
The world’s richest person has quietly become by far the biggest known midterm donor, trying to save Republicans’ Senate majority with some of the largest donations in American political history.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Judge Reyes' opening statement to the DOJ as the hearing begins: "I am thoroughly unamused right now."
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
VERY important point from my colleague Sam Bagenstos - the 2026 Senate races will determine the future of the Supreme Court and federal courts more broadly. Which means the 2026 Senate race in MICHIGAN could determine the future of the Supreme Court
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Jamal Greene @jamalgreene.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
A massive, and massively underrated, threat to a functioning democracy. (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2026/10/11/u...
nytimes.com
Threats of Political Violence Have America’s Elected Officials Living in Fear (Gift Article)
A Times investigation has found that violent threats have become a new normal among public officials, reshaped private lives, cost millions in security and pushed people out of office.
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Gabriel Malor @gabrielmalor.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
5th Cir. issues a rare Saturday order. Holds that the Supreme Court's stay in D.V.D. forecloses a stay of removal for a Senegalese man with witholding of removal to Senegal who DHS intends to immediately deport to Sierra Leone. www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub...
Separately, the Supreme Court has effectively ratified third-country removal of the sort that Gakou faces when it granted certiorari in a case raising the issue while still explicitly permitting the government to continue with third-country removals unabated pending full resolution on the merits.  See DHS v. D.V.D., Nos. 26-426, 26A406 (U.S. Sept. 29, 2026) (per curiam).  As a result, Gakou’s claim to an injunction against his removal to a country besides Senegal is unavailing and cannot be used to support the stay he currently seeks. Because Gakou has not demonstrated any meaningful probability of success on the merits, he is not entitled to a stay.  The emergency motion for a stay pending appeal is DENIED.
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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
And the five-year-old boy who was in the car? His mom says he's "traumatized" and hasn't spoken since the shooting. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/n...
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Ghouloni @joshghiloni.me · 09/10/2026
When I read a book by an author whose voice I know I read it in their voice, so today I said fuck it and checked out Lawless by @leahlitman.bsky.social on Libby and she’s actually reading it to me. Only a half hour in, but it’s fantastic.
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Thank you!
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Barbara Hill Reports A Murder on Neighbours
ALT: Barbara Hill Reports A Murder on Neighbours
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Jon Ossoff:
static.klipy.com
Stand By Me: Want to See a Dead Body?
Alt: Stand By Me: Want to See a Dead Body?
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
🙏
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Murshed Zaheed @murshedz.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Supreme Court enabled that violent movement via United States v Cruickshank (a decision that Roberts #SCOTUS later echoed in Trump v United States [worth reading @leahlitman.bsky.social's Lawless where she lays this all out. pp 96-97, 139]
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Steven Hale @iamstevenhale.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Christa Pike’s attorneys have just released an update on her condition. Full release here:
UPDATE ON CHRISTA PIKE’S CONDITION 

Statement from Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason from the TN Office of the Post Conviction Defender, and Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen from Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, attorneys for Christa Pike 

The turnaround in Christa Pike’s health in the last three days has been profound and a credit to the medical team caring for her. She woke up from unconsciousness Tuesday morning (Oct. 6) and began taking limited steps Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 7). Today, she is walking with some assistance, and her arms—which sustained significant injuries during the execution attempt—are healing and regaining movement and strength. Her lungs are clear, and she has started to eat a regular diet. Physicians are encouraged by her physical recovery.  

While her physical recovery has been remarkable, significant questions remain about the long-term effects of what she endured. Christa is dealing with the profound psychological trauma of having survived a failed execution, including the terror, pain and uncertainty of believing she was about to die. We cannot yet know the full emotional and psychological toll of that experience or how long it will take her to begin to heal. Even as she struggles to process what has happened, she continues to express concern for others, particularly the family of her victim Colleen Slemmer.  

Christa also continues to experience cognitive challenges with concentration and memory. Her physicians have cautioned that it may take months to fully understand whether she sustained lasting cognitive injuries.  

Christa committed her crime at just 18 years old after a childhood marked by rape, sexual violence, physical abuse and neglect. Later into her incarceration, Christa was finally properly diagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder and PTSD caused by her upbringing. 

Christa has endured more than enough. We continue to call on Gov. Lee to commute her death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She should never be subjected to another execution attempt.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 08/10/2026
Hegseth: "In every combat position, we've returned the standard to the highest male standard only"
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Haha wow is this comically corrupt. /he didn't end up paying her the money because he said he'd get in trouble with his wife.
By 
Dana Mattioli
, 
Drew Hinshaw
, 
Rebecca Ballhaus
 and 
Joe Parkinson
Oct. 7, 2026 4:53 pm ET

Kimberly Guilfoyle was preparing for her congressional hearing to become U.S. ambassador to Greece when she reached out to a Trump donor with an urgent request: She needed $100,000 that she said she owed American Express—in a way that wouldn’t leave a paper trail. 

“It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” she wrote on Signal, according to messages reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Please.”

Underneath is a screenshot of a text. First text is a link to an American Express instructions PDF. Next text says: "You can just send it here. It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express that's all that will show." Final text: "Please."
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Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
#ELB: “‘Honey Please’: Kimberly Guilfoyle Pushed Donor to Wire $100,000 to Her Amex Account” electionlawblog.org/2026/honey-plea…
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Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 07/10/2026
This is sexual violence as a form of terrorism. It is political violence and it is chilling and horrific, and AOC was absolutely right to be terrified that the goons (now pardoned) laying siege to the capital would rape her if they found her. Small changes won't fix this. FLIP THE TABLE NOW
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
schrodinger’s reflecting pool
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Crooked Media @crooked.com · 06/10/2026
@leahlitman.bsky.social on Alito recusal: Vergogna occasionally still works.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
NEW: Following the Supreme Court OK'ing states' trans sports bans, ADF is now taking its targeting of states with pro-trans sports policies to SCOTUS — via the shadow docket in a case out of Washington. www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...
documentcloud.org
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Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Cool www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
Alito holds up Edmund Burke’s teachings about prudence and tradition as “invaluable” guides for the “many times when originalist jurists must exercise judgment.” But he otherwise defends Burke’s relevance to American judging only by noting that he and many other conservatives esteem him. Unexpectedly, Alito also voices great respect for the work of the Harvard Law professor and fellow Catholic Adrian Vermeule, an arch critic of originalism. Vermeule argues that the theory’s moral skepticism, “defensive crouch,” and allergy to considering outcomes render it “an obstacle to the development of a robust, substantively conservative approach to constitutional law.” He favors interpretation aimed at “the common good,” a concept associated with Catholic social teaching.
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Steve took one for the team - and read Justice Alito's book. And Steve's response? INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS Also, Steve to Justice Alito:
static.klipy.com
Walter White: Say My Name
Alt: Walter White: Say My Name
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Beyond the horrifying reality that a hospital is trying to "clear the pentobarbital from [Christa Pike's] system" currently, the litigation over Tennessee's actions this week will shine a very clear light on the many, many reasons why governments should not be trusted with killing their citizens.
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Check out my piece in the @contrariannews.org talking about what’s going on at SCOTUS - and what’s on tap… www.contrariannews.org/p/next-on-th...
contrariannews.org
Next on the Docket: Dismantling Democracy
The Supreme Court is enabling Trump’s corruption while also doing the kind of institutional damage that will long outlast him.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
some descriptive statistics here on the civility industrial complex on college campuses that I haven’t seen analyzed before www.uncivilcollective.org/resources
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Laura Petto @laurarpetto.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Why did no one on jeopardy get Dobbs v Jackson women’s health last night?!?!? Idk seems like the case overturning Roe is something everyone should know, and definitely people studying trivia. At least Ken seemed disappointed
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Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
More confirmation that the Trump Administration is staying underground with its anti-abortion plans until after the midterms. www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/ab...
washingtonsun.com
White House Officials Told the DOJ to Delay Action on Abortion Ahead of the Midterms
Attorney General Todd Blanche has moved slowly in abortion pill litigation and department officials have told advocates to wait until after the election.
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Paul Rosenberg @paulrosenberg.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Super duper!!!
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Legal AF @legalafmtn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
NEW: Leah Litman, University of Michigan law professor and Strict Scrutiny co-host, joins Somil Trivedi of Court Accountability Action to discuss the Supreme Court's horrific order allowing the Trump Administration to send immigrants to random countries they're not from, without a hearing.
youtube.com
Supreme Court Makes SHOCK RULING on Trump Case...
YouTube video by Legal AF
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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
@leahlitman.bsky.social makes the case for Supremacy (the book, not the idea!) in @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social:
lareviewofbooks.org
Who Is Supreme, the People or the Court? | Los Angeles Review of Books
Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan’s new book challenges the supremacy of judicial review over democracy itself.
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Christine Kexel Chabot @kexelchabot.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Since when is it anti-democratic for a President to abide by the terms of a federal statute? @leahlitman.bsky.social @profmmurray.bsky.social @kateshaw.bsky.social have an important new paper highlighting slippery slope problems presented by the strong form of UET: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
Is the Unitary Executive Democratic or Autocratic Governance?
This essay examines whether the unitary executive theory provides for democratic or autocratic governance. It argues that the unitary executive theory's underly
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Whitney Curry Wimbish @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Another person has died in Trump's concentration camps. 47-year-old Julian Curo-Churata was from Peru. He died on Sept. 29 after he was imprisoned for three months in Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. That camp is run by LaSalle Corrections. There's no cause of death listed.
ice.gov
Illegal alien from Peru passes away in ICE custody in Louisiana
ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
(Reuters) - US President Donald Trump said he regretted nominating three Supreme Court justices Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, .. according to a Time Magazine interview. ".. What can I do? .. I gave them the position of a lifetime, and they vote against me often."
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I reviewed SUPREMACY for the Los Angeles Review of Books! @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social lareviewofbooks.org/article/supr...
lareviewofbooks.org
Who Is Supreme, the People or the Court? | Los Angeles Review of Books
Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan’s new book challenges the supremacy of judicial review over democracy itself.
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
As promised, I wrote about what really bothers me about Tuesday's unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way for the resumption of third-country removals with minimal (if any) process. Turns out, it's a lot: www.stevevladeck.com/p/254-four-t...
stevevladeck.com
254. Four Things That (Really) Bother Me About “D.V.D. III”
“Third-country removals” raise a host of difficult procedural and substantive questions. The Supreme Court should have answered those questions *before* greenlighting deportations to torture.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
UPDATE: At a call with the federal court tonight, "the state [of Tennessee] represented that medical personnel have begun to administer medical care as requested in the motion."
ORDER finding as moot 123 Motion to Expedite. At a conference call with counsel for all parties, the state represented that medical personnel have begun to administer medical care as requested in the motion. This is the complete order of the court. There is no document associated with this docket entry. Signed by District Judge Clifton L Corker on 9/30/2026. (Corker, Clifton) (Entered: 09/30/2026)
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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 01/10/2026
Tennessee's last botched execution was way back in [checks notes] May. "Mark Fowler, the doctor who was involved in Carruthers’ attempted execution, also oversaw Pike’s — at this time — attempted death sentence."
wsmv.com
Doctor involved in Tony Carruthers’ botched execution administered Christa Pike’s lethal injection — and she’s still alive
Ihnen confirmed the team is filing a motion to stay the execution, the latest in a back-and-forth over the “Jobs Corps Murder” convict’s execution.
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
By my math, the order was filed 11 minutes after the Trump administration's reply brief came in.
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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
static.klipy.com
I'm Dead Lmao Reaction Meme
Alt: I'm Dead Lmao Reaction Meme
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